Heart Shaped Pockets
by kusegoto
Summary: Returning to your normal life when you've gone through anything but normal is a tremendous task, and it's one Lisa wants to help Maya with. But, as it is in Liberty City - and as it might always be - nothing is ever that simple. / Takes place after "To Live And Die In Liberty City". A Grand Theft Auto / Persona AU.
1. A Storm's Passing

**A/N:** "wait mani, this isn't the persona 3/4 chapter" you're right!

my coauthor and i have more in mind for each arc that can't be summarized in the full story. but that's what this side story setup will be. with that in mind - and also what i wrote in the final notes of to live and die in liberty city - i hope you enjoy this side story!

i don't foresee these side stories to be quite like the epics of the main arcs, so don't worry. as much as i'd love to write a 30+ chapter epic on maya and lisa, it'll take an extensive planning of the whole series to get all side stories up to that length, and i don't think everyone wants to be here for that, LOL

rating is subjected to change. all characters are characterized within the gta setting. atlus owns all named characters and their respected series.

* * *

It's not even December yet, but there is golden tinsel on the banister leading up to the apartment floors. Lisa looks up, through the crack of space between each stair and the winding banister, and it is a forest of gold with dusting of silver, beckoning forth the holidays.

She finally pulls down her hood to let her hair out as she begins her ascent. She doesn't want to _admit_ it, but she's not the best with directions - she tries to remember the paintings hanging in the hallway leading to Maya's shared apartment, and the numbers engraved in aged steel against the door. If anything, her memory guides her to the fourth floor, up a tall ascension of decorated tinsel and hanging wreaths on each stairwell landing, and she follows down the plush red carpet. Lisa tugs the tote purse on her shoulder up a little higher. She scratches above her ear, because she _absolutely_ has forgotten Maya's apartment. Shit.

Digging into her purse for her phone would be too much work. And she'd have to take her mittens off. She wants Maya to compliment her on them, because they're cute. But distantly - farther down the hall, behind a door, she smells something. Something baked, vaguely chocolate, and peanut butter. _That_ is familiar. Lisa takes longer steps down the hall, following the warm baking and whatever her nose can sense, before she lingers on a door directly in front of the elevator. With as much confidence as one could muster, she knocks on the door, a little more firm than she might normally - her mittens are very soft, after all.

The shuffle behind the door is audible. The sound of a chain lock slides against the door, and soon it opens, with Maya poking her head out. Lisa smiles brightly at her, and she can see the sunlight trying to shine through Maya's eyes, but her smile is a lot more tired. A lot more hesitant. But - Maya opens the door and pulls Lisa into a hug.

Lisa feels warm. Like Maya's a hearth with a fire cracking inside. Or maybe she's just been baking.

"Hey there," Maya says, gentle against the side of her head. "I've missed you."

"You too," Lisa beams, returning the hug, arms wrapped around Maya tight with her tote bag nudging against her side. "Smells good in here."

"That's the cookies," Maya laughs when she pulls away, and gently tugs Lisa inside, closing the door behind them. Lisa notes she locks it, but can't parse why. "Ulala suggested we make something."

"Ulala's home?"

"In the washroom right now. Do you want me to take your coat?"

"It's fine," Lisa says, shrugging her bag to her feet and follows with her coat. She turns to the shoe closet by the door, and lingers before its mirrored surface, watching Maya fold her arms across her chest and walk back towards her kitchen, rubbing her arms gently. Lisa follows with her eyes, until Maya disappears from the reflection, and Lisa turns her head to watch her. Her brow furrows, slowly packing her coat into the closet and stepping out of her boots with far more haste, before she leaves the closet half-ajar to walk over to Maya.

"You alright?" she asks as she steps up behind her, gently placing her hands on Maya's shoulders. Maya looks at her with an earnest comfort, holding her steps and looking a little more grounded. She looks down, between both of them, to the cheap wooden floor, and sighs.

"Yeah. Thanks for coming over." As tired as she sounds, it's a honest confession. "I've just had a lot on my mind."

Lisa pulls herself a little closer, a half-hug with her chest pressed against Maya's back. Maya's sweater is a soft pink, and it matches Lisa's wool long sleeve turtleneck. She keeps thinking ahead, and before she speaks again, Lisa pinches all of those thoughts out of her mind, flicked away like dust on your sleeves. "You've been out of it since the funeral, you know."

Maya nods, with a sigh. "Work's gotten tougher."

"You sure it's just that?"

Maya glances away from Lisa, looking towards the stove, the window, the magnets on the fridge - and Lisa doesn't like that. It's like hiding secrets. Maya's allowed secrets, but it's—"I'm sure you already know, Lisa."

She gently pulls herself from Lisa, walking over to the stove and kneeling down to look inside at her cookies. Lisa pulls her hands back towards her chest, toying with the gold chain around her neck, and bites her lip. Fuck. "Yes, I know," she says, soft and uncertain. "But—no, I understand. Sorry."

Maya sighs again, pushing up on her knees. "No. You're worried. Ulala's been asking the same questions, so I'm just a little tired of it, is all."

With a tentative step, she walks towards Maya again, who turns to watch her. She sees the curiosity in Maya's eyes, but she also sees something like disturbed relief; relief that Lisa hasn't been exposed to whatever it is that sits beneath the surface, like skating on a pond only barely frozen. Lisa knows that. Lisa knows that Tatsuya was involved with something he shouldn't have been, and Maya was not far behind him. Lisa isn't stupid—and she knows Maya doesn't think she is, but god damn it, not knowing what burns her friends burns _her._

But she quells that frustration when she hugs Maya again, around her shoulders. Maya returns it, resting her face in the curve of Lisa's neck, and she feels her sigh between them once more. It's far more content, and Lisa likes that. They linger in the warm kitchen, and Lisa thinks about swaying gently to the side, before Maya lifts her head and lingers her eyes in Lisa's. She glances to the right just a little, and Maya's relieved expression ignites into something surprised, slipping out of Lisa's hold and coughing a little. Lisa turns around, and meets Ulala, with a playful grin on her face.

"Nice to see you, Silverman," Ulala says, taking long strides past the two girls. Ulala is so much taller than Lisa, and she has to crane her neck up to look at the mischievous woman. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Hey," Lisa says, awkward and plain, while Maya keeps her mouth pressed against her curled fist, ducked away from her roommate. Ulala kneels down in front of the stove, her long legs poking out from her slit skirt. Lisa notices they're a lot more knobby, worn muscle that's been left to soften. She already knows, but looks away regardless, away from the scars on her knees.

"They look ready, Maya, why don't we take 'em out?" Ulala asks, getting to her feet to turn off the stove, legs slipping back under her skirt. Maya finally lifts her head, but keeps her arms folded.

"They've only been in for a few minutes," Maya mutters, stepping forward hesitantly. "They'll be too soft."

"Maya's the only person I know who likes crispy cookies," Ulala says to Lisa, slipping her hands into the rubber mittens on the counter. "Like, burnt bottom crispy."

"It means they're cooked!" Maya says indignantly, but she looks far less embarrassed, and reaches behind Lisa to knock against Ulala's shoulder, who laughs. Ulala barely budges.

"And _burnt!_ Step back, Silverman, lemme get 'em out," Ulala says, before kneeling back down and pulling the stove open with her. Lisa backs up and bumps into Maya, who grins and puts her hands back on Lisa's shoulders, watching the oven intently. Lisa looks over her shoulder to Maya with her own smile, pulled soft and hesitant, and she breathes in the deep warmth of baked chocolate and buttery dough. She watches Ulala out of the corner of her eye put the tray on the stove and turn on the overhanging fan, loud and uneven, to breathe in the heat rolling off the cookies. She cuts her view of Maya short quickly, before Maya realizes she's staring. Ulala tosses the gloves off of her hand into the sink, her long fingers slipping free.

"We can make another batch since you just got here," Ulala remarks, leaning against the counter. "Make some for Crispy Maya."

"I'll eat these ones," Maya says, rolling her eyes. "I'm putting mine in the fridge, though."

"You're _such_ a weirdo."

"Only if you want to," Lisa insists to Maya, who slips from Lisa's shoulders with a smile.

"Maybe later. These are alright." Maya nudges Ulala with her hip, and rests next to her on the counter. "We're going out tonight, anyway. I was going to invite you with us, if you wanted to come."

Lisa raises one of her brows. "Where to?"

Maya looks up at Ulala, who notices, and grins—even if it looks a little nervous, just for a moment. "I wanted to—god, this sounds dumb, but—"

"You can do it," Maya says, touching her elbow.

"I wanted to go out, since it's been a while," Ulala admits, and Lisa stops herself from letting her eyes drop to something a little more concerned, or perhaps in mourning—because she understands, even if she doesn't know the details. Perhaps she won't, and that's—alright. It's not her business. Instead, she nods, and keeps her smile as best she can, while Ulala continues. "I thought it could be us, since Maya mentioned you were coming over."

"Is it a restaurant?" Lisa asks, resting herself on her side of the kitchen counter, hip leaning against the ceramic edge.

"Actually," Ulala laughs, with a grin. "I wanted to go dancing."

"You're _such_ an old lady," Maya teases, slipping off the counter and elbowing Ulala. "'Going dancing'."

"It's been a while!" Ulala insists, following Maya across the kitchen's narrow space. Lisa pulls herself up the counter a little to let them pass, and notes Maya smells just like peanut butter. She wonder why she didn't notice that before. "Even—yeah, it's been a while. I'm going to invite Katsuya too, if that's alright."

Lisa notes Maya's smile breaks, and her eyes widen with her lips pressed thin. Maya doesn't look up when Ulala passes her, walking towards the couch, and she makes a point to turn away from Ulala when she sits herself down, hiding her face. Lisa feels the hair on her neck prickle, and she wants to ask her what's wrong— "Yeah, of course he can. It'll be the four of us."

Maya lifts her head to Lisa. She still looks nervous. "If you want to come, that is."

"Of course," Lisa replies, almost stumbling over her words. "I'd love to."

Maya smiles, but something lingers in her eyes. Lisa tries to return the smile, but she notices the hesitation. It's going to be a long night.


	2. Ladies Half Price

Lisa almost think it's too cold to go out in thin shirts and short skirts at night. Ask her any other time of the year, and she'd be out in the car before you were finished asking. Maya seems to think so too, because she's managed to pull her knees into her winter jacket in the back seat of Ulala's van. Lisa watches her shiver, staring long enough that Maya shoots her a pouting frown, and it makes Lisa laugh.

"It's cold," Maya insists, and in the front seat, Ulala turns on the heating.

"Then I'll drop you off at the door," Ulala says, as she rolls her eyes and looks into the rear view mirror. "And we can go park."

Maya shakes her head. "No, I'll live… I shouldn't have worn jeans, they go stiff in the cold." She pushes against the seat with her heels to keep her knees close, and Lisa keeps her hand curled against her mouth to hide her grin.

"You look like a big sad ball of yarn," Lisa remarks, and it makes Maya laugh.

"Aren't you cold?" She asks, tipping her head towards Lisa. "Even I wasn't ready to go out in a skirt."

Lisa reaches down to the hem of her skirt, pinching the velvet material between two of her fingers to pull it down over her knees. "It's all I had in my car."

"You have outfits in your car?" Katsuya asks from his spot in the passenger seat, and Lisa shrugs, though he can't see her, her smile lingering.

"You're a guy," she says, rolling her eyes. Ulala laughs from the driving wheel. "I don't expect you don't get it."

The music thrums into the street, pouring from the walls and pushing through the front door every time the impossibly tall bouncer allows someone in. Both Maya and Lisa glance outside their windows to catch the look of the nondescript building, clusters of people waiting for entry, shivering in narrow dresses and suits that don't protect you from the bite of November's night. Ulala's van slows itself down as she pulls up into a cramped square parking lot beside the building, pathing down into an alleyway leading to another street. The heat is soon swept away once Ulala turns off the car, and the darkness swallowing Lisa is vanquished once Katsuya opens his door, visibly bracing himself against the cold.

"Alright, let's go," Lisa hears Katsuya say, as he adjusts his suit's lapels and steps into the night. Lisa reaches over to unbuckle her seatbelt and grab her purse, but catches Maya in her eye, watching the other girl observe the building with dismay.

"Everything alright?" Lisa asks.

Maya turns her head, and then ducks it back down into her coat, hastily unbuckling her seatbelt as well. "Yeah," she insists, and slides her door open to step out. "I'm fine."

With a pensive look, Lisa leads herself out and closes the door with force, taking long steps to walk around the back of the van to reach Maya. She manages to slip her arms around Maya's to brace herself against the wind, her hair threatening to whip itself out of the ponytail she's pulled it into. When they duck past the wall and walk towards the door, the building blocks most of the wind, and Lisa can open her eyes through the cold. She watches Maya look at the sign with apprehension, and Lisa nudges her. Maya shakes her head, which makes Lisa's shoulders drop in almost disbelief.

"Maya."

"It's—it's nothing, really," she insists again, glancing away. "I've just been here. Didn't have a good experience."

Maisonette 9 pulses with life once the door opens and the four of them step inside. A mass of bodies crowds the hallway, and Lisa guides Maya through each person that they must cut past before they can leave their coats in the coat check and make it to wide, steep stairs. Maya holds Lisa tight as they descend with Ulala already chatting off Katsuya's ear behind them, her voice a steady presence under the hum of synthwave and electronic pop. Lisa doesn't strain her hearing to listen to what Ulala's saying, letting her voice be lost in the massive crowd of sharp music and dancing patrons.

Maya brushes some of her hair over her shoulder, and Lisa watches her profile bathed in blue and pink lights. They move with the flow of the crowd, being nudged forward and to the side until Lisa turns her body and finds herself pressed against the wall, feeling the grooves of the carved steel against the bare small of her back. Maya keeps close to her, an arm wrapped around hers, like if she lets her go the current of bodies will take her somewhere else. She smiles at Lisa, something comforted and as well-natured as she can manage. Lisa returns it, grinning and feeling her teeth against her bottom lip. Dancing when you're pushed between chatting patrons and drinking party goers is a difficult thing to do, but Lisa definitely feels herself starting to sway with Maya, her shoulders still pressed against the wall.

"Thanks for coming," Maya says, leaning forward but still with a raised voice, over the volume that cuts between them both. "I don't think I would have had much fun with just Ulala."

"Why not?" Lisa calls, leaning her ear forward in return.

Maya's eyes seem to catch in the crowd, two red haired individuals chatting together with their arms around one another. Lisa directs her eyes to where Maya looks, and she sees Ulala grin bright and wide, her spider-like fingers running through Katsuya's hair and deliberately knocking his glasses off his face. Lisa glances towards Maya, who bites her lip for just a moment.

"If it was just us three…" Maya starts, and Lisa has to strain her hearing to listen closer. "Last time I came here, I was with Tatsuya."

Lisa feels something catch in her throat. "You went out with Tatsuya?"

"No, no, it was when we asked you about this place, remember?" Maya tugs Lisa a little closer, and the room feels a little more warm. "About the King? We - well, your tip helped us a lot, Lisa. Thank you."

Her face feels warm, and she tries to mask it by raising her eyebrows and looking as surprised as she can. Which, she figures, only incriminates her more, but she keeps that thought swallowed down. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

Maya's eyes glance elsewhere, to a faceless figure in the crowd. Lisa's hand shoots up to her face and cups her cheek to bring her back, even when she feels an alarm rush through her veins from the very idea. She holds Maya still without thinking, and talks without thinking either. "Seriously, I—I mean it, you know? If something's on your mind, I want to hear about it, because I don't want you to deal with anything alone."

In the low light, blue and purple and pink all blending together, Maya's eyes light up with a stray white glow that rolls across the floor, and she looks deep into Lisa's own eyes with reverence. She reaches up and takes Lisa's hands from her face and holds them in her own hands, and though she dips her head down just a little, Lisa can see Maya's lips spread into a small smile, flushed warm. Lisa feels uncertain. But she doesn't want to move.

"Thank you," she says again, her smile growing wider. "I'll… be sure to tell you, Lisa. Thank you, I… really."

Lisa smiles in return, and she moves one hand from Maya's own to reach around her shoulder, but bumps her hand against a broad chest. When she lifts her eyes from Maya's to the stranger, she is cut short from how he looks right at her.

"Is this Maya? Maya Amano?" the man says. He's only a little taller than Maya, but he's built like a brick house. Lisa pulls her hand back, wrapped around Maya, as Maya turns her head.

"Um… yes?" Maya asks uncertainly, and backs up into Lisa a little. Lisa feels a fire kick up inside her, and she has half a mind to pull Maya around to stand behind her. "Who are you…?"

The man looks almost uncertain all of a sudden, reaching a hand up behind his neck to scratch at it. "Oh, sorry if I startled you—Andre wants to talk to you."

"—Bebe?" Maya's eyes suddenly light up in total shock, and looks behind her shoulder at Lisa. "He's—I spoke to him last time I was here."

"Seriously?" Lisa asks. She remembers Eikichi bragging about the three of them in the private lounge of Bebe himself, the club guru of the city. But he's Eikichi, and Eikichi loves tall tales. But if he wasn't kidding about Maya—

"Is everything alright?" Maya asks the man, hesitantly stepping from Lisa's hold. Lisa's hands feel a lot more empty. "Have we done something to upset him?"

"Not at all," the man says, and steps to the side to allow the girls to walk forward, arm outstretched. "Follow me. You can bring your date with you, if you'd like."

"Oh, we're just friends—" Lisa tries to insist, but Maya reaches back behind her to take Lisa's hand, leading her through the split crowd behind the man Lisa could only presume is personal security for the man upstairs. The stairs are illuminated by purple neon beneath each step, and at the top of the stairs, a glass bead curtain that reflects the club lights on to the walls separates the rest of the club from the private lounge. The man parts the curtain for the women, and Lisa feels her eyes strain just a little at the plain white light, as the plush seats sprawling before her are no longer obscured in black light.

It's a lot emptier than she expected a private lounge to be. Men in suits similar to the security guard linger at decorative pillars circling the room, and only a few dressed up individuals lounge around in a separate seating area, circled around a glass table that holds an extravagant ash tray, lit by candlelight. But Lisa's eyes draw more towards the circle of couches lowered into the ground, where one man sits, with blonde hair, purple tinted glasses, and a vintage floral suit. In his hand, decorated in bulky rings, he sips from a martini glass.

"Thank you for finding them, Mamoru," Bebe says, uncrossing his legs and taking off his sunglasses. "Maya Amano—it has been a while since we spoke, yes?"

Maya nods, taking an uncertain step. The man named Mamoru gestures towards the seats, and Lisa holds Maya's hand tighter as she walks both of them to the short steps, taking a seat not too far from their peculiar host. Maya nods a thanks to Lisa, and folds her hands into her lap, leaving Lisa barren again. She looks at Bebe, who tips his head back farther to finish the last of his drink. "Is there a reason you called us up here?"

"I called only you, but I figured it wouldn't be fair to leave your date alone." Bebe hands the glass to Mamoru, who puts it on a golden tray. "What is your name, dear?"

Lisa fidgets with a button on her long sleeved shirt, feeling heat crawl up her neck again. "Lisa. Lisa Silverman."

Bebe grins and swings himself forward, legs spread and leaning forward on his elbows. "Welcome to Maisonette, Miz Silverman. I promise you two will be allowed to return to your evening—I only wanted to speak to Maya. Now, Maya, dearest—how have you been?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Lisa notices Maya glance at her, before she turns herself completely to Bebe, awkwardly straightening her back. "Well, it's—I've been fine. I, um, just finished investigations on—"

"On the Masked Circle, yes?" Bebe sighs, glancing at a chip on his nails. Lisa can see Mamoru shake his head behind Bebe, and she feels a lot more uncertain. "I suppose I will get to my point. Maya, Miz Amano… I understand your good intentions, seeking justice in a city that often does not possess any. Have you uncovered anything… incriminating of the surviving members of the Circle?"

Maya leans back a little, bumping into Lisa's arm. Lisa can hear her take a deep breath, and initially, she's worried Maya is about to stammer something again, but she leans against the cushions with a composed, casual slouch, leaning her arm up to relax. "Truthfully… not much. I only learned of the identities of Tatsuya Sudou, Junko Kurosu, and her husband, and they… well, they're no longer with us. I'm still unsure of the identities of the two lieutenant-like figures who worked alongside them."

Bebe nods, thoughtfully. Mamoru reaches towards a waiter who brought Bebe another drink, and he takes it to give to his boss. With a grin for thanks, Bebe takes a thoughtful sip of the champagne flute. "Truthfully, I only ask that so I may tell you to… forego any further investigation."

Lisa leans over Maya's shoulder to glare at Bebe. "Don't tell her what she can and can't do."

The look Bebe gives her is like he caught a glimpse of someone he did not like entering the club. A grimace of petty rich boy drama. "Are you—sure? You want to go digging into a group of people you have no idea what they might be capable of?"

"Lisa," Maya says softly, reaching over to pull her back into her seat. She looks back at her host with a front. "With all due respect, mister Gerard, I'm well aware of what kind of people the Masked Circle are—or, were—and what they are capable of."

Bebe thoughtfully swirls his drink, his wrist rotating the glass. He hums, but it's hard to hear even over the distant music. "It's not meant to be a threat, Miz Amano. I do not want you to bring any more grief upon yourself if you investigate any further."

"Bebe's dealt with the Circle a few times," Mamoru says from behind, and it earns him a lazy stare from the club's prince. "We've never run into any trouble with them, but we know they can hit hard. We've been there, just like you. He's just—" with a glance down to him, Mamoru receives a shrug from Bebe, who turns his head away to drink from his glass. Lisa figures that's the permission, because Mamoru continues. "Looking out for you girls. Especially since you came here before."

Maya folds her arms, and turns against the couch, laying her back down. "That's… kind of you, mister Gerard."

"Please, Miz Amano, just call me Bebe," he says, draining the glass of its contents. "Everyone in this city does."

The smile Maya gives him is a little hesitant, but when Bebe's own is delighted and bright, Maya seems to relax her shoulders and let herself smile a little wider. Lisa feels herself relax, too, and she settles a little closer to Maya, as Bebe glances to his bodyguard once more and mutters something. Mamoru gives him a unreadable look, but then walks past the couches, giving the two women an uncertain wave to pardon himself, and he soon disappears past the glass curtain down the stairs once more, swallowed whole by the club.

"Now," Bebe suddenly says, leaning himself back against his seat, leg crossed over the other once more, and still holding the empty champagne flute. "If you ever uncover something—such as further information that you did not intentionally uncover—I ask that you get into contact with me. Both of you, but I feel Miz Amano is more susceptible to this."

Lisa tips her head. "Why's that?"

Bebe looks like he balances something in his head, considering. Then, he rolls his neck down to look at Lisa, his words marked with a lazy smile. "I suppose you could say that I am cleaning up the mess your incarcerated friend made in this city. Businesses that are going under, people without a certain future. If anyone contacts you… send them to Andre Gerard. I will see to it that do not complicate your lives any further."

"That's…" Lisa glances to Maya, and then back to Bebe. "Really… nice of you."

"Just consider me your new friend in a high place," he laughs with a wink, something playful that Lisa wasn't expecting. Bebe's eyes sweep over to the curtain, and Lisa follows his glance over her shoulder, and she doesn't expet to see Katsuya adjusting his glasses and Ulala fixing her dress to stand at the landing.

"Take this," Bebe says, reaching into one of his pockets and holding out a gold plated card to Maya, etched with a triangle. "Take Miz Serizawa and your date downstairs, Maya, and show this to the bar. Get as many drinks as you would like tonight."

"Are you sure?" Maya smiles, but then it disappears almost immediately. "Just us three?"

"I wish to speak to Miz'zer Suou," Bebe says, with a confident smile. "Regarding the same business I spoke to you about. Given he is an officer of the law…"

"What do you need from him?" Ulala walks forward, a stern look on her face. Katsuya puts a hand on her shoulder, and though she shrugs him off, she looks back at him with concern mixed into her eyes.

"It'll be fine," Katsuya insists, "If he has some legal concerns, then there's no reason I shouldn't talk to him."

Out of the corner of Lisa's eye, she sees Bebe gesture to Maya to stand, and Maya takes her hand to lead them both up, all while examining the card. Lisa looks towards him as Maya bows her head. "Thank you, Bebe."

The steps up to the landing feel more steep, as Lisa continues to hold Maya's hand tight. Maya reaches forward with the card in her fingers and presses a hand to Ulala's shoulder, muttering something that Lisa can't quite catch, but it placates Ulala enough that she steps to the side, letting Katsuya walk towards the couches. She watches him as Mamoru guides the three girls past the curtain, and when Lisa looks towards Ulala in the dark stairwell, she doesn't look happy.

"We're getting free drinks," Lisa insists, with a hopeful look on her face.

It doesn't cheer Ulala up. "I'm going back up here later," she says, hand on the banister. "Just to make sure he's alright."

"I'm sure everything is alright," Lisa says as they reach the floor again, taking Ulala's hand to chain the women together as they navigate through a dense crowd towards the lit up bar. "We were talking to him before. He seems nice."

"What about?" Ulala grunts, leaning against the neon bar and nudging herself into Lisa's space. It's hard to move around the mass of people shifting up to the bar, but when Maya flashes the golden card, a bartender quickly shuffles to their side of the bar.

"What do you two want?" Maya asks, glancing towards the others.

"I'm thinking still," Ulala insists, not looking away from Lisa. Lisa looks over to Maya to relieve herself of Ulala's stare.

"Get me a strawberry daiquiri," she says, and takes refuge in Maya's smile before looking back to her kickboxing teacher. Shit. It's been weeks. Ulala's slipped into one of the stools bolted too close to the bar to be comfortable, but she keeps her legs out from under the wall. Lisa bites the inside of her lip when she glances down.

"What did you two talk to him about?" Ulala asks again. "Maya's just a reporter, she doesn't do legal stuff."

"It was…" Lisa knows. Ulala knows Lisa knows. Ulala was far less stern before, and they both know why. "About… the stuff Maya was looking into when you were… gone."

Ulala looks at Lisa for a while longer. She eventually breaks her stare from the other girl, looking at the bottles of liquor decorating the back wall of the bar. "Just say it straight Lisa," Ulala mutters against her hand, "I went through it. I know what it was like."

"I didn't know you were okay with it," Lisa admits.

"I'm not. I'm not okay with it." Ulala sighs and continues to glare at the illuminated bottles, and Lisa starts to fidget with the button on her sleeve again. "But the less you dance around what happened, the more I know you're not just pitying me."

"Hey," Maya cuts in, passing a pink coloured slush drink to Lisa, and a complimentary cup of water towards Ulala. "Just take a drink. You'll be a lot less on edge, I promise."

Ulala grunts again, and picks up the crystal glass to throw back the ice water, the ice knocking against her teeth. She looks at it in confusion, like she was expecting a proper alcoholic drink, and catches the bartender's attention with a raise of her hand. When the young man shuffles over, she nudges the glass back to him. "Do you have any margaritas?"

The boy nods.

"Get one for me, then. I'm on the golden card, too."

Lisa slips against the bar stool, settling herself down and toying with the pink straw sticking out of her drink. She looks over at Maya, who sighs through her nostrils, and ducks her head down to her orange coloured drink. Ulala gets something green with ice shaved on the rim, and she leans against the bar to support herself while she takes a heavy drink from it.

"I don't want to spend too much time here," Ulala says when she puts down the glass. "The bar, I mean."

"Do you want to go dance together?" Maya asks from the other side of Lisa, leaning forward to catch Ulala's eye.

"Sure. Since Katsuya's busy." With a sigh, Ulala heaves herself off the bar stool, and reaches past Lisa to touch Maya's shoulder, who follows in suit. "We're going to go for a song or two. Can you watch our drinks, Silverman?"

"Yeah," Lisa says, pulling the orange and green drinks closer to her own. WIth her arms around them, she looks like she's hogging them. Maya steps out of her seat and links her arm with Ulala's, a careful smile on her lips as she tries to sway Ulala into the crowd. "I'll, uh, stay here. Don't be long."

"We won't," Maya insists, and passes Lisa a sadder smile. Lisa keeps her head turned until Maya disappears in the crowd and she can't identify Ulala's hair from the neon, and then she turns back to the bar, pulling her straw between her lips and taking a listless sip.


End file.
